Curtain-fixture.



A. G. RADER.

CURTAIN FIXTURE.

APPLICATION IILED MAY 18, 1912.

Patented June 3, 1913.

, 4 j if if J2 6&dfZfWentor.

Attorneys AUGUST C. RAIDER, 0F UPPER MONTCJLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

CURTAIN-FIXTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

IlatentedJuiieii, i913.

Application filed. May 18,1912. Serial No. 698,265.

To a]? 'lU/LOHL it may concern:

ll-e .it known that I, A'Uous'r (l. ltannn, a citizen ot the United States, residing at Upper Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful (lurtain-Fixture, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in holding devices for spring-actuated shades.

The primary object: ot' the invention is to provide a holding device which will normalty maintain the shade against movement, with means wherelrv the shade may he raised and lowered, by movement oi, the rod which is attached to its free edge.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction in which the shoes which engage the window casing, may be released from l'rictional contact with the casing by a movement of the rod, there. being a connection between the rod and shoes whereby the rod may be maintained at right angles to the casing during the raising and lowering of the shade.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction in which pressure, applied to the rod in either direction, and at any point throughout its length will op era to to bring the friction shoes out ot con tact with the casing.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a supporting member for the shoes, which is adjustable with respect to the rod and which houses resilient means for maintaining the shoes in contact with the window easing.

Vith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise en'ilmdiment of invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing the shoes in their normal position to maintain the shade against movement. Fig. 2 is a view showing the shoes in the position they assume when downward pressure is exerted upon the rod. Fig. 3 is a view showing the position that the shoes assume when upward pressure is applied to the rod. Fig. i is an enlarged sectional view, showing the connection between the shoes aml the rod. l ig. 5 is a trout elevation of the shoe. l ig. (3 is a view showing a slightly moditicd torn] ol connection,between the adjustable member and shoe.

in the drawings 10 designates a hollow rod, which is attached to the edge ot the shadc. This rod is intcriorly screw thread cd adjacent its terminals, to rcccive the screw threaded barrel 1] which forms an adjustable support or connection, tor the shoe. The end [2 (it this cylindrical member it, is closed by the screw threaded cap or plug l-t, said plug torming a contact block tor a coiled spring is). A rod or plunger it; is disposed to! sliding movemcnt within the hollow mcmbcr l i, said rod being provided with an elongated slot 17 which receives the pin to, the pin 18 extending lransrersely ot the cylindrical member ll, being positioned adjacent its end it). The rod or plunger 'ltS terminates in the reduced rounded extension 2t) which forms the male member oi a knuckle joint. The shoe consists oi the spaced plates 22 and 2 t, rollcrs l5 and 26 being rotatably supported between the terminals of said plates. The plates are connected by the web portion 37 the surtace 28 ot which carries a strip 330 preferably tormcd ot rubber and positioned between the plates 22 and 94. This strip oli rubber extends beyond the edges 25) ot the plates 22 and the contact points :30 ot said strip being substantially in alinement with the peripheries of the rollers 25 and so. The plates 22 and l lare provided with the spaced cars 31. and 32, said ears extending from the edges of said plates remote from the casing engaging side of the plates, this edge ot' the plate being curved, the edge which is presented to the casing being straight. The web 27 is provided with the extension 2323 which is disposed centrally between the ears, said member 3?) while preterably 'lormed integral with the web, may be tormed separately and secured either to the web or to the ears.

The terminal il-lot' the extension is concaved as at 37 to term the Female men'iber of a knuckle joint. pivot pin 36 passes through the ears, and pierces the outer terminal ot the shalt or plunger .16, the said pin passing through the rounded erdension 20 ot said plunger, the extension Qt) and the coneaved terminal at. the extension Slat terming, a knuckle joint. The plunger 16 intermediate of the slot 17 and the terminal 20 is bored transversely to receive the bolt- 37. A flatspring 38 is secured to the upper and lower faces of the plunger 16, by said bolt the head 39 of said bolt retaining one of said springs in position and the nut 10 retaining the other of said springs in position. These springs are bowed at 11 and their terminals d2 contact with the extension 34 retaining said extension in alinement with the plunger 16, the plunger 16 thus normally being disposed at right angles with respect to the shoe, the outer terminal of the plunger being formed square, to form a flat bearing surface for the portion 44: of the spring. It will be noted by this construction that the shoe has a pivotal connection with the plunger 16 and the plunger 16 has a sliding coniection with the barrel which is attached to the rod 10, the coiled spring 15 maintaining the shoe in contact with the casing and the flat spring a l holding the shoe at right angles to the rod 10. By this construction it will be noted that the normal tendency of the spring 15 is to hold the shoe in contact with the window casing, the normal position of the retaining member being illus trated in Fig. 1. By referring to this figure it will be noted that the contact block 30ris in engagement with the window casing 45, the frictional contact of said block with the casing overcoming any tendency of the shade spring to raise the shade. hen it is desired to lower the shade, the rod 10 is drawn downward (attention being called to Fig. 2 of the drawings) this downward movement of the rod exerting a downward pressure on the shoe at the pivot point 36. It will be noted that the shoe is pivoted eccentrically, the downward pressure on the rod causing the same to fulcrum on the lower roller 26. It will be noted that as the shoes are moved to a position where the rollers alone contact .with the casing that the shade may be conveniently lowered. When the shade has been properly adjusted and the pressure is removed from the rod 10 the shoes will again assume the position shown in Fig. 1. When it is desired to raise the shade, (attention being called to Fig. 3 of the drawings) upward pressure is exerted on the rod 10 causing the cont-act block 30 and the lower roller 26 to move out of contact with the casing the rollers 25 forming the fulcrum on which the shoes pivot. It will be noted that when the shoes assume this posit-ion the shade may be raised, the shoes riding on the rollers 25 as the same is raised, it being noted that when the shade is adjusted and the pressure on the rod 10 relieved, that the springs 41, will cause the shoe to assume a position at right angles to the rod 10 thus forcing the contact blocks 30 against the casing. In this movement of the shoes which permits 54- of the the shade to be adjusted vertically the plunger 16 recedes within the barrel 11, the coiled spring 15 forcing said plunger outward as soon as the pressure on the rod 10 is relieved, the shoe thus being returned to its right angled position with respect to the rod and forced by the action of said springs 41 and 38 outward by the action of the spring 15.

It will be noted that by adjusting the shade the rod 10 may be maintained in a horizontal position there being no necessity of moving said rod out of its normal position at right angles to the casing for securing the proper adjustment of the shade; It will also be seen that the raising and lowering of the curtain may be secured by applying pressure to any point along the rod. Attention is called to the fact that the spring which normally maintains the shoes in con tact with the casing, are actuated to allow the shade to be raised and lowered by applying pressure to the rod, in either direction and at any point throughout'its length, the structure providing a spring actuated shade retaining means in which the adjustment of the shade is secured without the use of spring releasing triggers, it being unnecessary to bring the curtain rod out of its normal horizontal position to actuate the spring releasing means. This is of particular advantage inasmuch as the holding of said rod out of its normally horizontal position tends to damage the curtain. Furthermore it will be seen that the springs are released with out the use of triggers or similar mechanism, and that the lower edge 16 of the curtain is unbroken, the rod 10, being slipped in the lower folded edge of the curtain. This is an advantage in assembling the device and placing the same on the curtain, the construction being such as may be easily and economically manufactured.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 6 the formed integral and attached to the body portion e19, the rollers 52 and 53 being disposed with respect to the contact pads 50 in the same manner that the rollers 25 and 26 are disposed with relation to the contact pads 30 in the preferred form. In this form the plunger 16 is disposed within the barrel 11, its terminal 17 being bifurcated and embracing the portion 541 of the shoe, the pivot pin 52 passing through the portion shoe and the bifurcation of the plunger 16, the plunger 16 therefore having a pivotal connection with the shoe. The plunger 16 is provided with an elongated slot 17f which permits the plunger to slide within the barrel 11, a coiled spring 15 contacting with the transversely disposed pin 18 which passes through the elongated slot 15, the outer terminal of said spring bearing against the portion 55 of the shoe, maintaining the body portion of the shoe in alinement with the barrel 11 in the same manner that the ears 31 and 32 are maintained in alinement with the barrel 11 in the preferred form. In this form when upward pressure is applied to the red, the same action takes place as in the preferred form, the spring 15 erforming the functions 01 both the spring 15 and the spring 38, the same having a tendency to extend the plunger 16 and through its contact with the surface 55 of the shoe maintaining the shoe at right angles to the rod.

The many advantages of this construction may be clearly apparent as it will be noted that the same may be easily and economically manufactured and that the various parts may be readily assembled.

What is claimed is:

1. A holding fixture for spring actuated shades, including a rod, casing engaging shoes, members connecting said shoes and said rod, said members being movable longitudinall y of the rod, said shoes having a pivotal connection with said members, and spring means carried by each member :for normally engaging a shoe at opposite sides of its pivot to maintain the shoe at right angles to its member.

9. A holding fixture for spring actuated shades, including a rod, casing engaging shoes, members connecting said shoes and said rod, said members being movable 1ongitudinally ot the rod, said shoes having a pivotal connection with said members, and a plurality of springs secured to said members and contacting with saidshoes to normally maintain the same at right angles to the members.

3. A holding fixture for spring actuated shades, including a hollow rod, the terminals of said rod being intcriorly screw threaded, a screw threaded barrel disposed within each of the terminals of said rod, a plunger disposed for movement within said barrel, a plug forming a closure for one end of said barrel, a coiled spring interposed between said plug and the inner terminal of said plunger, a shoe, said shoe being formed with spaced cars, a pivot pin passing through said cars at their outer edges, said pin passing through the outer terminal of said plunger, an extension carried by the shoe, and springs carried by said plunger, said springs contacting with the extension of the shoe to maintain the shoe at right angles to the said plunger.

4. A holding fixture for spring actuated shades including a hollow rod, a barrel adjustably arranged within either end o't said rod, a plunger mounted for a restricted sliding movement within said barrel, resilient means for normally maintaining said plunger at the limit of its outward movement, a shoe pivotally connected to said plunger, and a resilient connection between said plunger and said shoe, whereby the shoe is normally maintained at right angles to the plunger.

in testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atlixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST G. RADER. Witnesses F. C. \Vnrrn, Jos. A. DURR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, I). C. 

